US stock market opens higher

By Ovunc Kutlu

NEW YORK (AA) - The U.S. stock market opened higher Tuesday to begin the first trading day of November with gains after positive data from the Chinese economy.

The Dow Jones added 22 points to reach 18,164. The S&P 500 rose four points to 2,131 and the Nasdaq was up nine points to 5,198.

China's manufacturing PMI index, which measures activity in the manufacturing sector, rose to 51.2 in October -- the highest level since July 2014, according to official data Tuesday.

The index added 0.8 points in October, compared to the month before, marking its fastest monthly increase since March 2011.

The upturn in the Chinese economy, which rose 6.7 percent in the third quarter this year, is believed to have a positive impact on other major economies, according to analysts.

The U.S.' manufacturing PMI index also rose 0.2 points to reach 53.4 in October, beating market expectations, the data revealed shortly after Wall Street's opening on Tuesday.